


The Wolf Sings

by clandestine_xo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, M/M, Minor Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-05 20:46:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clandestine_xo/pseuds/clandestine_xo
Summary: Sehun doesn't remember a time when he didn't love Kim Minseok, and he's at the edge of his seat hoping that their wolves will allow it.





	The Wolf Sings

**Author's Note:**

> First foray back into ABO. I hope I did it some justice.
> 
> To the prompter, thank you for sending this idea in. I initially wasn't planning to join the fest but the prompt compelled me to sign up.
> 
> To the mods, thank you so much for being incredibly supportive throughout the writing period! Your feedback during check-ins were great motivators every time I got stuck.
> 
> To T and P, thank you for always hearing me out whenever I ramble about writing.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys!

He cracks his eyes open to a dark room, thankful that his parents made sure to keep the curtains shut. Just like the past few days, he spends several moments getting his bearings together, flexing his fingers and toes, stretching his limbs, and cracking his joints. He waits for that wave of electricity he’s become so familiar with over the week to hit, but all he feels is a gentle thrum beneath his skin.

“It’s over,” he says to himself, voice laced with awe.

He jumps out of bed quickly, rushing to the en suite bathroom to properly look at himself in the mirror, jaw going slack at the image he sees. It’s only been five days, but the changes are stark. Gone were the fluff in his cheeks and the pudge on his stomach, giving way to more angles and planes to mark his maturity. Broader shoulders and defined muscles are a clear indication of who and what he was, but he still sniffs his arm to check.

A chuckle coming from beyond the door pulls him from his reverie, making him snap his head around to see who it was.

“Relax, boy,” his father says as he walks into the bathroom. “I mean you no harm.”

He blinks rapidly at his father’s tone, the calming sound being leagues different from his usual commanding voice. When he gets his senses back, he realizes he had taken on a defensive stance, hackles raised and teeth bared.

“I smelled you all the way from the garage,” his father notes. “I hope you know it didn’t matter what you presented as, but discovering your scent and seeing you now, I couldn’t be more proud.”

Such praise usually makes him crack a grin, lips pushing up his cheeks and turning his eyes into crescents, making him look years younger than 18. Instead, he breaks into a confident smirk, his nature already affecting his behavior.

“Good morning, alpha.”

A surge of pride that travels up his spine. Hearing the recognition from his father, a man he looks up to in more ways than one, truly put things into perspective.

Oh Sehun had finally presented. And he was an alpha.

 

 

**********

 

Sehun feels the excitement from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He’s been gone for two weeks now, taking time to let the changes take place and adjust to the new dynamics.

Had it been the olden days, he would have been left alone to do as he wishes, letting primal instincts lead him through the motions. A presenting alpha is sure to incite anger from other alphas, defensiveness from betas, fear from omegas. A presenting beta was lucky in the sense that alphas and omegas can seek comfort in their pacifying presence. Presenting omegas were a whole other ordeal, especially when they have yet to control the release of their pheromones, practically guaranteeing a brawl among alphas and betas in the vicinity due to the overwhelming desires to stake a claim.

In the modern age, it’s become customary for wolves approaching maturity to take a leave from school, protecting themselves and others from any unsavory acts. It was a week to allow the changes to take place, and another to let their parents and guardians teach them how to keep their instincts in check.

Sehun thinks back to the words his family told him once his presentation was complete. His father mentioned how he was fine regardless of which dynamic he fell under. His mother had initially suspected that he was going to be a beta due to his generally even temperament. His older brother was cheeky in saying he wished he ended up as an omega so he can boss his little brother around longer. As for his thoughts, Sehun always knew he was going to present as an alpha, even from a young age.

His earliest memory of having alpha behavior goes back to his toddler years, back when he was more privy to shifting to his pup self to avoid taking baths, eating vegetables, or wearing clothes. But it wasn’t that petty and defiant nature that made him think about being part of the alpha dynamic. While his mother thinks of him as easygoing, many teachers, classmates, and acquaintances would say otherwise, especially when another piece of the puzzle is taken into consideration.

Sehun may not have concrete memories from when he was much younger, but everyone makes sure to remind him often enough.

_“Your overprotective nature should make you an alpha once time comes.”_

_“Is it overprotective or territorial? I vote for the latter.”_

_“Well, if one ends up an omega and the other an alpha, it makes sense, right?”_

_“What if he’s a beta, though?”_

Sehun has heard those comments time and time again. It made him resolved to the idea that he needed to present as an alpha, come hell or high water. It’s the only way he can stake his claim, the only way he can be seen as something more than just that little kid who always followed the other around.

“Looks like someone’s here for you.”

The teasing lilt in the speaker’s voice makes Sehun look up. He fixes his gaze on the newcomers, both freezing in shock once they realize the difference.

“Let me rephrase that,” one says, salacious grin on his lips. “Someone is here to _take_ you.”

“Shut up, Baekhyun,” the other says through gritted teeth.

“I’ll see you two later,” Baekhyun replies, moving towards Sehun. “Stay safe,” he stage whispers.

Sehun chuckles at that, the deep rumble causing a visible shudder to run through the omega beside him.

“Christ! Two weeks and you’re already this dangerous. I need to find Chanyeol.”

“I guess it’s you who needs to stay safe,” Sehun says, smirking at the blush booming on his friend’s cheeks. He laughs when Baekhyun scurries away instead of making a retort. The clearing of a throat makes him turn his attention back, gaze softening when he meets the curiosity in the other’s eyes. “Hi,” he greets.

“Stop looking at me like that,” the other replies, voice gentle as a sigh.

“How exactly am I looking at you?” Sehun asks.

The omega tries to glare at him, only to whimper when he keeps his gaze steady. “As if I’m the only thing you see,” he finally replies.

“But you are the only one I see, Kim Minseok.”

 

* * *

 

Oh Sehun met Kim Minseok in daycare. With kids’ ages ranging from 1 to 5 years old, it wasn’t so much of a class but more of a huge playgroup. At barely 2 years old, Sehun wasn’t so fond of leaving his mother’s side, throwing a giant tantrum by the door as she attempted to leave. They told him he was trembling, clearly on the verge of shifting into a pup, when Minseok popped his head out of the room, calling out a tentative greeting that broke through the commotion.

Sehun vaguely recalls chubby fingers wrapped around a piece of half-eaten bread, a plump frame precariously leaning sideways from behind the teacher’s legs, thin lips sporting a lopsided smile, and wide eyes filled with wonder. Sehun sobered up quickly from what he was told, choosing to follow Minseok further into the room at barely any coaxing, not once looking back at his mother.

“What are you thinking about?” Minseok asks, breaking through his thoughts.

“Just taking a trip down memory lane,” Sehun says with a smile. “Do you remember when we first met?”

Minseok rolls his eyes at the question, though there was no hint of contempt in the action. The succeeding light chuckle tells him just the same. “You mean when you made me look like a mother duck with tiny wolf pup for a tail?”

Sehun chokes on the sip of coffee he just took, squinting his eyes at the snickering omega in front of him.

Sehun can’t really argue. While he’d like to think that the two of them were thick as thieves growing up instead of how Minseok put it, there’s no denying it was him who clung onto the omega for any attention he can give. At a young age, his need to be around Minseok was inexplicable. It was a lot of acting like a guard dog when other people came near, going as far as growling at teachers and chasing other kids away.

The behavior stuck as they grew older. Despite being on different levels and going to different schools, Sehun always found a way to be beside Minseok. And he made sure no one took his spot.

“Remember when you hit the sixth grade and started asking people about imprinting?”

If only the floor could swallow Sehun whole. He can only be so glad that the beta waitress serving them had the sensibility to stifle her laughter.

Books and movies love romanticizing how people find their mates. Growing up, Sehun tried to rationalize his need to be around Minseok as having imprinted on the boy. He made the mistake of voicing his idea in front of Minseok and his high school friends, only to run home crying at the laughter he got as a result. It was over a tall glass of milk and a freshly baked tray of cookies that his mother told him the myths of imprinting.

_“I’m sorry, honey,” she says soothingly. “Imprints are just the stuff of legends. It’s not real.”_

_“B-but–” Sehun hiccups._

_“Imprinting is just a fancy way of saying love at first sight,” his mother continues. “It doesn’t dictate whether or not someone will be your mate long before you present.”_

_“So Minseok isn’t my mate?” he asks, lips quivering as a fresh batch of tears rolling down his cheeks._

_“That’s up to both of you to decide, honey,” his mother replies with a soft smile. “When your wolves present, if they allow it, and if both of you accept, then you can be mates.”_

_“When do I present?”_

_“Wolves always present when they reach 18,” his mother patiently tells him. “That’s still a while from now. Do you think you can wait?”_

_“I will for Minseok!”_

“I ran after you that day, you know?”

Sehun tilts his head in confusion, no memory coming to him of seeing Minseok after the ordeal.

“I told them off,” the omega somberly explains. “After you ran away crying, I got so mad and basically said screw them. Then I ran to your house to say sorry and see how you were, but I couldn’t bring myself to knock on the door. I heard you crying and I just couldn’t.”

The somber look in Minseok’s eyes makes Sehun sit up straighter. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing really. I just learned that day how much it hurt to see you cry.”

“That’s not nothing.”

“Well, I’m sticking to my story so,” Minseok replies, sticking his tongue out teasingly.

Sehun chuckles at the sight. For someone older, Minseok has his childish moments. It’s one of the reasons why he was never ashamed of showing his affections for the omega, their ages never getting in the way when their natures were evenly matched. However, there were some people who looked down on their friendship, especially after Minseok’s wolf presented.

“I knew you were going to be an alpha,” Minseok says, deep in thought. “After I presented, and I saw you, I just knew. I thought maybe imprinting wasn’t such a far-fetched idea after all.”

The statement makes Sehun sit up straighter, gaze boring at the omega before him. He says nothing, but perhaps whatever aura he exudes forces Minseok to continue.

“I was so uncomfortable in my own skin when they first let me out,” he starts. “It felt like my wolf was looking for something and was going crazy because I couldn’t find it. I remember betas and omegas coming to me to try and calm me down because I was sending out waves of fear strong enough that even alphas were beginning to get stressed. It’s probably the only reason why none of them tried to cozy up to me when I first walked into campus.”

Sehun growls under his breath, not at all fond of the idea of another alpha coming near Minseok.

Minseok eyes him fondly, though he turns his gaze down shyly the second Sehun tries to look at him straight.

“What is it?”

“I was going crazy that day, almost hysterical,” the omega continues. “It was the end of the day and I knew you were going to come barrelling through somewhere. Whether it was you running around school to look for me or waiting at my doorstep, I was anticipating it.”

“I parked my ass in your front yard,” Sehun snorts in recollection. “I didn’t want to go to your school and embarrass myself if you somehow ended up with a claim. If it was you finding someone or the other way around, I didn’t want to deal with it with all your friends possibly seeing me break down again.”

“I should probably thank my parents for instilling an amazing amount of self-control. You have no idea the effect you had on me just by being there. Whatever crazy feeling I had that day, it all went away the second I saw you. And somehow I knew.”

Sehun waits for Minseok to continue, only to notice how the omega lost in thought with a faraway look in his eyes. He takes the chance, reaching out to grip at the other’s hand, reveling in the feel of it in his. He feels the familiar surge of protectiveness flow through his veins, throat going dry at the overwhelming need to have Minseok. The surprised gasp the omega makes brings him back to reality.

“My wolf sings for you. It hasn’t done this since Lu Han.”

It takes every bit of restraint he has to keep Sehun’s wolf from lashing out. The name triggers a memory from just a year ago, turning his feelings of protectiveness into possessiveness.

Lu Han wasn’t exactly a bad guy, just a victim of unfortunate circumstance. The alpha was an exchange student from China whose friendly disposition made him easily likeable. In hindsight, Sehun can actually understand why Minseok felt comfortable around the boy. Lu Han’s face was pretty and unassuming, his slender build was non-threatening, and his demeanor was easygoing. The only telltale sign that he was an alpha was whenever he was out on the soccer pitch. And it was the sport that made him and Minseok practically inseparable during his year-long stay in South Korea.

The idea that Minseok’s wolf once longed for Lu Han irks Sehun, and the distaste shows on his face. It makes him wish he was born earlier, to have already presented as an alpha before Minseok came out as an omega. Then maybe he wouldn’t feel jealous about anything and everyone that came near his mate.

“You and Lu Han are alike in so many ways, it’s not even funny,” Minseok says with a dry laugh.

“Please don’t compare me to hi–”

“He knew you were going to be an alpha the second he saw you with me,” Minseok interjects.

That piques Sehun’s interest. From what he recalls, he was nothing but be rude to Lu Han. To have an alpha to not just brush that off, but also to hold him in such a regard was quite uncommon, especially when in the presence of an omega. Natural laws would have called for Lu Han to fight Sehun or at least do some posturing.

“After that first day of you seeing him around me,” Minseok starts, “he found me the next morning and told me that if we didn’t end up together, then something must be wrong with the universe. I pointed out that it was still a while to go before your wolf presents. A lot can go on.”

_“And besides, there’s no telling if Sehun will be an alpha.”_

_“Didn’t you mention that he used to believe in imprinting?” Lu Han asks thoughtfully._

_“Yeah, what about it?”_

_“Well,” he hums. “I believe in how the heart wants what it does.”_

_“Are you telling me you think Sehun will be an alpha just because he wants to be with me?” Minseok deadpans._

_Lu Han has the audacity to laugh, as if what he said wasn’t incredulous in itself._

_“Everyone thinks betas are the most in tune when it comes to emotions,” Lu Han starts. “But an alpha has to be, too. It’s how they protect their packs and how they come to decisions for the good of everyone.”_

_Minseok isn’t quite sure where Lu Han is going with his ramblings, but he remains quiet nonetheless._

_“Haven’t you ever wondered why, despite so many alphas trying to approach you, none of them offered a claim?”_

_As he listens to Lu Han wax poetic about what makes him and Sehun so special, Minseok finally starts to understand what that indescribable feeling he’s had for a long time is._

“What did he say?”

Sehun’s question brings the omega back to reality, flinching when he notices the resignation in Minseok’s gaze. Whether the fear shows on his face or if the older boy senses the shift in his pheromones, Minseok does his best to send a reassuring glance before he starts to speak again.

“The heart wants what it wants.”

Sehun finds himself under the hypnotic spell of Minseok’s voice, listening to stories of years past and feelings hidden until today. He’s on the edge of his seat as the omega recounts his experiences, giving color to the gray areas in Sehun’s memories. His heart breaks at learning how his tears led to Minseok crying to himself. Then happiness begins to bloom at the revelations that follow.

It’s in Minseok standing up to people who made fun of Sehun when they were younger. It’s in the tears that flowed when he found out the younger boy was hurt. It’s in Minseok’s wolf presenting and his first thought as an omega being of him. It’s in the underlying fear of what Sehun will present as, and in the subsequent elation when the alpha stood before him.

_“You’ve been in love with him for almost as long as he’s been in love with you, and your wolf sings of it. Anyone will be stupid to try to get between that.”_

“If you’ll have me,” Minseok begins to say, tongue darting out to wet his dry lips out of nervousness.

“I don’t even remember a time when I didn’t feel love for you,” Sehun interjects. “Shouldn’t it be me asking that question?”

Sehun didn’t quite understand what it meant when Minseok first mentioned how his wolf sings for the younger boy. But in the wide-eyed gaze filled with hope and love, Sehun’s alpha choruses back a harmony only for Minseok to hear.


End file.
